Be A Word Of Mouth Super Genius!

WHEN: Chicago: July 30 and September 4

Until now, only Wile E. Coyote could lay claim to the title Super Genius. No longer!

Our friend and WOM guru Andy Sernovitz is hosting a small-group word of mouth marketing seminar. Usually he only does private training for companies (yeah, the big ones) at a very large price, so this is a rare chance for 50 people to get the best introduction to word of mouth that there is.

We've arranged for a $250 discount for our friends! Use code "welovethebrandbox" when you register. (And you DO, don't you??)

This is a very practical, hands-on course (and if Andy's involved, it's sure to be a blast). In one intense day, you will:

• Master the five steps of word of mouth marketing
• Construct an action plan that your company can start using the very next day
• Get the same training that big corporations (Microsoft, TiVo, eBay) have received -- for a fraction of what they paid
• Know how to translate word of mouth marketing into real ROI
• Participate in an active, intense day of practical brainstorming (not boring theory)
• Learn from Andy Sernovitz, the guy who literally wrote the book on word of mouth marketing

Andy promises you will learn a repeatable, proven marketing framework that is easy to execute, affordable, and provides measurable results within 60 days. Click here to get more information and reserve your spot.

Note: Nope, I'm not getting anything in return for promoting Andy's workshop (I offered in fact), and I don't promote stuff I don't believe in. I just happen to think Andy is super smart, and that every company can and should be doing what he teaches. So off with you now. Go sign up.

Plurkshop #6: Measuring Social Media Effectiveness

Yesterday marked another fantastic Plurkshop, hosted by David Alston of Radian6, a groundbreaking social media monitoring company.

What is a Plurkshop?

Plurkshops started as spontaneous discussions on various topics over on the social networking site Plurk. They've evolved into regular discussions, scheduled specifically around certain topics, and open to the entire community. Fun, fast, and furious, they're chock full of great information. (If you'd like to get news of future plurkshops, follow @Plurkshop on Plurk).

Talking Social Media Measurement

Marketing, PR and Social Media types are abuzz with the importance of finding ways to measure the impact of companies’ engagement with social media. We discussed some of the key questions on everyone’s minds:

What makes social media efforts so difficult to justify?

The term “social media” has gained acceptance, but it can be misleading in literal translation. The “social” aspect of SM can create an informal (and incorrect) impression that these tools are only for casual personal relationships vs. building brands and value for companies. And the “media” aspect is often seen as just another broadcast vehicle, held to traditional marketing and media metrics that may not accurately reflect social media’s holistic community impact.

Many companies are wary of trying social media until and unless they see concrete and tangible results, and success from competitors can be a might fine motivator. A collection of viable case studies from established companies using these tools to their benefit will help blaze a trail for others to follow.

Perhaps a different question: is there a cost to not being involved? What are you missing if you’re unplugged from the Groundswell? The more examples like Dell, Zappos, Fiskars and GM we uncover across different industries, the more readily we’ll be able to get companies on the train before it leaves the station.

Why measure?

Companies using or considering social media as part of their communication strategy want to establish the true ROI of these online networks. And for marketers, accurate measurement of the impact is important to establishing credibility and long-term viability for these new tools in a business setting.

We’re able to point to positive effects that we think are being generated by participation in social media – increased customer satisfaction, sales numbers – but the hard line from social media to sales has yet to be drawn clearly. If we can create a direct connection between a company’s engagement with their community and their growth, we’ll have something powerful indeed.

What are we measuring, really?

David asked at one point “do you want to measure the ‘social’ or the ‘media’?” which sparked some interesting answers.

Focus on the word “media” seems to drive people to measure social media effectiveness in the same way we’ve evaluated traditional direct marketing or public relations efforts (impressions, response rates, website visits, sales figures). But the word “social” means we ought to be measuring the quality and depth of the relationships with people that are fostered within communities. That will require discovering metrics that are reciprocal, not just one way.

Is Return on Investment really the right term, then? Perhaps we need to consider a new “I” when it comes to social media. How about these:

• Return on Initiative. What are we reaping from the effort when we look at it holistically?
• Return on Interaction. Are you having better conversations with your customers and do they feel more connected to you?
• Return on Involvement. Does this change how involved your customers want to be with your business?

Listening is an (the?) important facet of any successful social media effort, because it creates an avenue for customers to directly affect the products and services they purchase. What do you think, can you effectively measure the importance and impact of listening? How?

What makes measurement difficult?

Social media is a long-term strategy that takes time to show quantifiable results, and the agility and patience to make adjustments along the way. The nature of relationship building means that the impact may not be immediately visible, but will grow and strengthen over time. But because relationships and other “soft metrics” like community building are hard to quantify, it can be even harder to tie social media to the ever-present bottom line.

Monetization is key for most marketers in order to establish the direct line from marketing time and dollars spent to revenue earned. But revenue developed through social media is often indirect, and follows a winding (and hard to track) path from company to community and back again. That lack of clarity is what often causes a company to dismiss social media as unproven, risky, inefficient, or not valuable.

Is there anything we can measure?

From David's arsenal:

• Mapping out the top influencers on a topic/brand and whether they are advocates (percentage of supporters amongst top influencers)
• Amount of “long tail” coverage (posts/commenting activity for or against your brand
• Tracking effectiveness of an outreach campaign/product launch over time (based on tracking WOM)
• Share of brand buzz vs. competitors online
• Engagement on website/forums/company blogs
• On topic inbound linking
• Total views/comments/unique commenters
• Level of engagement in commenting activity
• Speed of spread (how fast and idea is adopted and carried across all forms of social media)
• Social media to mainstream media hops (story growth beyond where it started) and vice versa
• Reaction time to engagement (most commenting activity happens in first 48 hours on a post)
• Comment acceleration (how fast a discussion on a topic is taking off/slowing down)
• Post sampling/collection (tweets, posts, comments are the new client testimonials)
• Favorites/diggs/vote counts
• Customer satisfaction (including tools like the Net Promoter Score)

So, what’s the case to be made for social media?

Social media is long term, and has to be viewed as an investment.

Social Media can support and strengthen other traditional marketing and public relations efforts by adding a listening channel.

Social Media is about building relationships, trust and community, not merely marketing.

If used properly, social media leads to more and better connections with customers.

Making a strong case for using social media in business seems to still be an uphill battle for many. From companies who seem downright afraid to talk to their customers to those who view these efforts as nothing more than productivity killers, social media advocates clearly have their work cut out for them.

Showing the true value of social media means collecting and sharing crucial case studies outlining companies’ success. Do you have great examples to share of companies who have successfully used social media to build their business and bring value to their customers? Please share them with us!

Special thanks to David Alston for hanging out with us and giving of his time and expertise. For more information on Radian6 and the great stuff they're doing, please check out their website.

Update: Check out Connie Reece's great post on the Plurkshop, too, along with a rundown of the participants!

Diluted Brands: Just Add Everything

I was talking to Jane Chin on Plurk about her conundrum of too many blogs, and too little focus, and she’s not alone. My feeling was that in today’s hyper-niched world – brought to you by the wide and vast internet – brands are forced to go narrow and deep instead of wide and broad in order to retain their relevance. I’m not the first to say this, of course. (Check out The Long Tail.)

Here’s why I’m adamant that a focused brand beats an “everything” brand any day (unless you're a bagel).

Managing expectations.
Focusing your brand means that your community always knows what to expect from you. This doesn’t mean that you never do anything innovative, it just means that your innovations are focused on the things that add value, interest, or dimension to your brand while still responding to the needs of your community.

Solving real problems.
As the saying goes, you can’t please all of the people all of the time, and if you try, you risk your brand feeling a little schizophrenic. But if you focus your efforts on the things you’re passionate about and you can do best, you’ll truly be able to solve problems for the community that needs you.

Longevity.
Brands that are built with purpose and depth have the foundation to endure, adapt, evolve.

Some discussion amongst the smart folk yielded a few examples of brands that may have lost their focus:

• Starbucks and their forays into music and chocolate?
• Mercedes by offering lower end cars for mass markets?
• Barack Obama by hitting the campaign trail with Hillary Clinton?
• Coke – too many varieties?
• Harley-Davidson and their cake decorating kit (no, I’m not kidding)
• Target – are they getting into too many things?
• Martha Stewart – just how many things can one license in how many quality/price tiers and still be competitive?

Do you have examples of brands that are diluted? How important is it for a brand to stay narrow and deep? What keeps a brand relevant to you even as they evolve? Let’s talk more.

Photo Credit: Bripc

Audience is a Four-Letter Word

Used as a noun, the word audience means “The group of spectators at a public event; listeners or viewers collectively, as in attendance at a theater or concert; the persons reached by a…broadcast; public.”

I can’t stand the word “audience” when I’m talking about a company’s clients or customers. I’m not even crazy about those words, because they imply a one-way relationship. I prefer things like “community”. And I’ve caught myself using it, so I’m putting it on my list of four letter words that aren’t ok to use in business, and especially in marketing and social media. Here’s why.

Audiences are meant to listen and observe.
You go to a play or a seminar, and with the rare exception, you sit quietly and listen. The idea isn't to engage the performer or speaker, but to absorb and appreciate. That has it's place in the world, sure. But not when it comes to marketing and social media. Your community WANTS to engage with you and have the chance for exchange and conversation. It puts a human face on business and allows community members to feel like they're helping to build and steward the brands and businesses they love.

Audiences come for the performance, and usually only once.
How many times have you gone to a movie twice? A couple, perhaps, for the really incredible ones. Most times, an audience shows up, watches, goes home, and that's the end of their interaction with the performer. You want your community to be a constant - surrounding you and interacting with you, giving you feedback and connecting with you. You want them to come back, again and again, because you've given them reason to. Change your thinking from "audience" to "community", and they'll feel more welcome on your doorstep.

A bad audience review rarely changes the show.
If a broadway show gets panned, they just pull it or ride it out, but they don't rewrite it because someone didn't like it. The amazing thing about having a community is how they can - and should - help shape the ideas behind a company or product. (Stay tuned for a follow up post on great examples of this). Their engagement with you and the dialogue they welcome is gold; valuable information you can use to improve your product or service offerings based on the people who matter most - the ones that buy them!

So, I'm going to officially jettison the word "audience" from my marketing/social media lexicon. Do you agree with me? What other words do you think we need to retire or change given our interlinked and hyperlinked world?

Photo credit: Felipe Trucco

Joyful Marketing! (Really.)

Making people happy still fosters some of the strongest Word of Mouth you can find.

This video has been all over the web and TV, and it never fails to make me cry tears of joy. Why is that good? Because joy is a feeling that you just don't come across every day, so when you do, you remember it. And I sent it out to a bunch of people so they could enjoy it as much as I did. Take 5 minutes and watch this if you haven't seen it already (and see the story behind it here.)


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

The astute mind behind Servant of Chaos has a great post about this video, and he makes some great observations. Most especially, I was struck by the fact that this video is indeed sponsored by a national chewing gum brand - Stride - but they were content to take a credit on the end of the reel instead of their logo plastered all over everything. In fact, I had to watch the whole video before I realized it WAS sponsored.

Sometimes, it's not about sales or pimping your product. It's not about splashing your website url or MySpace page all over. Stride did a powerful thing by sponsoring this effort - they put a whole bunch of money into merely spreading happiness and joy. And guess what? We're writing about them. Happiness - and the power of community - is truly contagious. (PSST - all you "viral" marketing people out there, take note).

The takeaway: How can you make your customers happy, just for the sake of it? Does it always have to be about key messages? How about finding something that makes you happy and sharing it with them, just as a thanks for being part of your community?